Summer Snowfall
by Shooting Fallen Stars
Summary: Eiri left Shuichi three years ago, forcing him to move past his beloved Yuki. How will Shuichi handle it when Eiri randomly shows up one day? On hold until I get my inspiration back.
1. I

**Disclaimer: **Gravitation owns me.

Howdy. I don't know what to do with this. I got a sudden burst of inspiration and wrote it, but when I re-read it it sounded really boring. Should I continue it? I have an idea of where it should go, but I don't even know if I should bring it there. Argh. Please tell me what you think. Pleeaseeee!

* * *

"People change", they say, but I don't believe it's 'changing' so much as finding a part of yourself you never knew existed.

Yuki left me three years ago. Eiri is currently the person standing on my doorstep. Yuki is dead. He died when he left me suddenly and with nothing but a forbidden memory. I try as hard as I can to find a sign, any sign that he was going to leave, but there was none. He didn't abuse me, despite what a lot of people seem to think. He was a cold, he'd always been cold, but I thought I could see through it. I never expected to wake up one morning and find a note taped to the radio in place of my lover.

I went through all the human relations textbook stages of a breakup - shock, for one. Then, denial. I was in denial that he'd left and wasn't coming back. For three weeks I sat on the couch all night and all day, waiting him to pop in and say "Sorry, sorry," in his apathetic manner. Anger - I was furious; with him, with myself. Depression, and finally, a sense of freedom.

The sense of freedom didn't come in a typical way. I stopped talking to and seeing everybody except for Hiro. I was drowning in a wave of inspiration - but not for music. I had forgotten how to sing, it seemed. I didn't write lyrics anymore - words seemed useless. Instead, I found inspiration for the visual arts.

I moved out of Yuki's apartment and bought a new one, which I refused to leave. Everybody thought I had developed some terrible drug habit. Hiro refused to say anything. I think he didn't really know what to say. I decided I needed to figure out who Shindou Shuichi was - not the genki singer who glomps everyone in his sight and slides around in his socks singing. I was convinced that I wasn't a complete idiot.

So, I began to draw. I just drew whatever came to my mind - weird shapes, designs, anything. Hiro looked at them and told me they looked like the results of dropping acid. There was one in particular that sort of looked like a spider web sprinkled in fairy dust. (I had done it in silver pen.) I guess I got pretty good after a while; they started to look like something, so I cleaned them up and taped them to my walls.

Ryuichi came over one day. I think he expected me to look like a dope fiend, but that wasn't the case. I was taking care of myself (or rather, Hiro was taking care of me) and I was just pale from lack of sunlight. I wasn't even depressed. I didn't stop eating or cut my wrists; I don't think I could do that. After Ryuichi I saw Fujisaki and K. During Bad Luck's hiatus - which isn't over yet - Hiro, Suguru, K and Sakano had all found new projects, but if I wanted to come back, I could at any time. I hadn't even listened to my own music in years until Fujisaki, Hiro and I were in the same room and there was an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

I started leaving the house and got a job as a studio musician. I had my life back - until Eiri decided to show up on my doorstep.

* * *

It's Saturday, I have the day off. I'd intended to sleep all day until the stupid doorbell woke me. I thought it might be Hiro, so I answered it, and there he stood.

Eiri Yuki, also known as my ex boyfriend who I was completely obsessed with who randomly left me and drove a knife the size of Germany through my chest.

He doesn't look much different. His hair's longer, that's all. He's staring at me as if he's expecting me to jump him. Yeah, right. I don't even know if I can speak to him. I'm frozen in my spot.

His stare is making me dizzy. I lean onto the doorframe for support. He finally speaks.

"Shuichi?"

I just stare at him. What does he expect me to say?

He jams his hands in his pockets and pulls out a cigarette. I'm seriously surprised he hasn't contracted lung cancer. I used to worry about that constantly when we - no, that's all over.

So why is he here? Why are you here, Eiri? What do you want me to do?

I try to speak but my throat is caught. Imagine that. I used to be able to babble on for hours to this man and he'd barely even pretend to listen to me, and now he's staring at me intently as if he's expecting me to do magic tricks. Oh, Eiri, you're so ironic. When your attention is complete poison, you decided to strangle me with it.

I used to yearn for that stare.

I open my mouth and feel my voice finally begin to function. The floor appears to be spinning, however. I lean further into the doorway.

"Um," is all I manage to get down before I black out. I guess some things never change.

* * *

When I wake up, his hazel eyes are staring down at me. Feeling uncomfortable, I turn away from him. Maybe if I close my eyes and count to a hundred, he'll disappear.

Maybe not. I hear him clearing his throat.

"Uh.. hi, Eiri," I manage, forming my first articulate statement of the day.

He grunts in response. God, no. Say something. Don't make me go back to that time.

He sighs. "Shuichi…"

"Yes? Did you forget to write something on that nice little note you left me three years ago?" I sound surprisingly bitter. He bites his lip. Is he nervous? I try again.

"How did you find this place?"

"Tohma gave me the address."

Tohma. That weasly little…

"Eiri, why are you here?"

He shifts in his seat. "I don't know."

I suddenly feel anger burning in my stomach. It's acidic. Maybe I'm going to throw up on him. That'll give him a nice memory of the first time he saw me in three years.

"Well, when you come up with a reason, feel free to come back here and share it with me."

He looks surprised. "You're…kicking me out?"

I glare at him. "You honestly expect me to drop my pants and beg for your love when you left me alone out of fucking nowhere?"

He doesn't say anything, just looks at me. This doesn't feel right. Is this what they call role reversal? I pull my knees up to my chest.

"I shouldn't have come here," he begins. Oh, here it comes, the usual "this is what you've done to mess up my life this time, you damn brat" speech.

"Because…I don't know what to say to you. I should've thought it through more carefully."

I look up at him. "Is that an apology?"

He doesn't answer, just nervously rubs his knees. "Shuichi, I…"

I'm starting to feel guilty. Why does he do this to me?

"Eiri." He looks at me. "Look. Come back here in a few days when you've calmed down or whatever. We can discuss what it is you want to discuss."

He looks surprised, then happy.

Wait. Happy? Is that the Eiri I know and used to love?

What did he **do** while he was away? Suddenly, I'm frightened.

"Okay," he says. "Thanks, Shuichi."

When I close the door behind him, I wonder if I've just signed myself on for another ride on Eiri Yuki's emotional roller coaster.

* * *

Welllll, that's the end of that. If you were expecting more from this...sorry. -.-' 


	2. II

**Disclaimer**: I own Gravitation. Yep, definitely. This explains why I'm writing a FANfiction on it.

Thanks for the wonderful reviews. You guys are awesome.

* * *

I'm too busy thinking to look where I'm going right now. I guess I can blame Eiri for that. That mean's it's his fault that I've just run smack into Sakuma-san's back and sent Kumagoro flying into the fountain that is oddly placed in the middle of the N-G lobby.

"OH, FUCK!"

Was that me screaming? Yes, I think it was.

"Uh..Shu-chan?"

"I'm so sorry, Sakuma-san! I'll get you a new one! I don't know how, but I'll find a way! I promise! I-"

"Shu-chan, it's okay! Kumagoro and Ryu-chan have been in worse things than water together!"

"Oh…" Do I want to know? No, I don't think I do.

"What's the matter, Shuichi? You look distracted, na no da!" Ryuichi gives me a concerned look before fishing out his dripping wet rabbit-person. "Does your tummy hurt?"

"Uh, no.. I better go. Sorry about Kuma-kun, Sakuma-san."

"Oh, okay. But no Sakuma-san! Ryu-chan and Shu-chan are friends!"

I smile at him and watch him shake Kumagoro out for a second before turning to meet up with Hiro. I consider not saying anything, since the last thing Hiro ever wants to hear about again is Eiri Yuki, but Hiro could always see through me like I'm a transparent shower curtain. It's a little freaky sometimes.

"Hey, Shuichi. Your shirt's on inside out."

I jump as the great Hiro himself's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "Oh, hey, Hiro."

"What's on your mind?" He stands against the wall and stares at me like he's undressing me with his eyes. Well, I guess he is, except he's undressing my mind rather than my body.

"Uh, well…you'll never guess who showed up at my apartment yesterday…"

"Seguchi?"

"No. Hiro, I told you -"

"Just give me a second. Fujisaki? Judy Winchester? Your mom?"

"No, hell no, and no."

"Fine. Who?"

"Eiri."

Awkward silence.

"…Hiro?"

"You've got one sick sense of humor, Shindou."

"I'm not kidding!"

Hiro waves his hand in dismissal. "I thought you stopped lying compulsively after nobody believed that that crazy stalker manager chick came around in a giant panda."

"I'm not kidding! I wasn't kidding then, either!"

Hiro raises his eyebrow and looks at me. "Eiri's been MIA for three years. Why would he suddenly show up?"

"Ask him."

He stares into my face for a long time before I start to twitch. "God damn it, Hiro, is it that hard to believe?"

"You're not lying, are you?"

I glare at him. "No! What would the point of that be?"

He shrugs in return. "Nobody said you were easy to understand. So, what did the great Yuki-san have to say to you this time?"

"Nothing important. All he did was act like a jackass."

Hiro smirks. "Some things just don't change, do they?"

I sigh. "No, but I am meeting up with him."

"You are? Why? When?"

"Because I'm too nice and this afternoon."

Hiro shakes his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

Good question.

* * *

"You actually showed up," is Eiri's choice of greeting as I stand by his table at Zenny's.

"You think?" I sit down and begin to fumble with the salt shaker. Great, freaking out already…

"So," he begins. "Uh…"

"Where'd you run off to? New York?"

"Uh, no." He shifts uncomfortably. "Not America."

"Where, then?" If he says Kyoto, I'm picking up a chair and throwing it at him.

"Norway."

I give him an unidentifiable look. _Norway_?

"I figured you wouldn't go looking for me there."

I roll my eyes. "There are less extreme ways to tell someone you're sick of them."

He shakes his head. "No, that isn't it."

I groan. This is just as pointless and tiring as trying to talk to Eiri when I lived with him. I make to get up and leave but he stops me.

"So, what have you been doing for three years? Been shacked up with that guitarist friend of yours, perhaps?"

Excuse me? "No. Sadly, even now, my dick only points in your direction. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to -"

"Oh, really?"

I give him the best death glare I can muster. "Did you come here to act like a tacky bastard or did you come here to say something important?"

"You know I'm not much of a talker."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know that better than anybody. "Then why did you even bother to come to see me at all?"

"Because…." He puts his hand to his forehead. "Because…."

I sigh. "This is a waste of time." Before he can stop me again, I'm up and out the door. Only when I reach my apartment do I realize that I might have gotten up too quickly.

Why didn't I let him finish what he was saying? Am I acting the same way he did to me? I know confrontation makes him antsy.

Am I getting too old for this shit?

I sigh and fall on my couch. I pick up the remote, but I really don't feel like watching TV.

I'm so sick of this confusion.

Fuck you, Eiri. Why can't I get away from you?

* * *

Is it just me, or does this story have too much dialogue? Bah. Sorry it's not very linear or anything. I'm sort of out of it because my grandmother just passed away. I shouldn't even be writing, but I felt like I should update. I promise it will get more exciting. I hope. 


	3. III

**Disclaimer**: I have no clever way of telling you that I don't own Gravitation.

**Reviewer Replies! **You guys are awesome.

**Wonderful Teru**: Thank you! That's good since this story is mostly dialogue so far...an American love story? Is that a good thing?

**akuma-river**: I can't tell you why Eiri went to Norway. Mostly 'cause I don't know yet. But I will say it has nothing to do with Kitazawa because that's overused and it has nothing to do with him being unable to "unaccept his overwhelming feelings of love for Shuichi" 'cause that's lame. And what Hiro said was a reference to vol. 10 of the manga when Shuichi was ranting about Rage and her panda and Fujisaki & Hiro just laughed at him.

**Kitty in the Box**: Well, I think it's only natural that even Shuichi would have had enough eventually, yeah?

**silverwing18**: You're a sweetheart. Thank you :)

**Angelique Starlight**: Don't worry, I have no intention of ending this until it's finished. That might take a while, since I have to come up with something unique or I'll be all pissy and such. Is the Yuki in this story much different than usual, half of the time making semi caring comments and the other half acting like a total jackass? Hm.

**AsnGothic**: Thanks! It probably will be Eiri/Shuichi. I can't stand it when Shu's paired with anyone else. Especially Hiro. Gah.

**utsubame**: Yeah, the post-breakup suicidal Shuichi is definitely overused, especially when people do it in such bad taste. Thank you :)

Thanks to **Dragid**, **sailorspazz **and **Hikaru Itsuko **as well!

* * *

I'm anxiously sketching a picture of a curiously blond man with an arrow going through his head when my phone begins to ring incessantly. I ignore it, since there's nobody I really feel like talking to right now, but by the eighth ring my brain is starting to vibrate painfully.

"YES!" I scream in irritation as soon as I grab the phone.

"Uh..Shu-chan?"

Oh, fucking hell. Of all people I could have yelled at. "Hi, Sakuma-san."

"Shuichi? Did your computer break again? You sound mad."

Mad as in insane or mad as in angry? "Oh…no, I'm just tired. Sorry, Ryu-chan."

"Okay! Well, Kumagoro wants to know if you'll come have dinner with us tonight!"

"Sure. Who's 'us'"?

"Ryu-chan and Kumagoro, of course."

As long as it's not Seguchi-san. I don't think strangling him would leave a very good impression on Ryuichi the first time I go to his house. "What time?"

"6:42!"

"Oh…kay…?" You'd think I'd be able to understand this. Maybe I have changed. Maybe Eiri took my personality to Norway with him and gave me half of his and left my other half with nothing. Okay, maybe not.

Haha. Norway. Eiri in Scandinavia. I shouldn't find that funny, should I? I mean, he did thoroughly grate my -

"Shu-chan? Are you there? Did you fall asleep? Did you die?"

"N-no. Sorry, Sakuma-san."

"I'm going to bite you every time you call me Sakuma-san. See you later!"

He's going to bite me? Well, whatever. I'm used to Ryuichi's playful violence.

I've got four hours and three minutes before I have to be at his house. Sounds like the right time frame for a long, satisfactory nap.

In my dreams, Eiri is standing in the park where we first met. I'm stuck up in a tree, calling his name, but he can't hear me. I begin to freak out and scream. When he finally turns around, he looks through me, not at me. I begin to scream louder, but he just walks away and fades into the distance.

I think I need Ritalin.

* * *

"SHU-CHAN!" My eyes widen as I'm glomped by a 35 year old man and his immortal stuffed rabbit. "Eek! You're three minutes early!"

I'm tempted to ask him if he's autistic. "Uh.. yeah? Am I?"

He nods enthusiastically. "I tried to cook but I burned my hand. See?" He proudly shows me his bandaged hand. I smile. That reminds me of -

No. None of that. I'm here to enjoy my time with Ryuichi.

He continues his story. "I also really fucked up the food, so we have to order pizza. Is that okay with you?"

"Yup. It's great."

Ryuichi beams. I begin to feel happy and a lot less tired. Ryuichi's mood can be rather infectious. He drags me into his bedroom where a large assortment of video games are scattered.

"Wanna play Mario Kart?"

"Sure!"

The next two hours consist of a lot of laughter, heated games of Mario Kart and a generous amount of pizza sauce in Ryuichi's carpet. ("That's okay! Tohma can clean it for me!") I feel better than I have in a long time. I realize how long it's been since I could just hang out and forget about all the nonsense that plagues my brain.

We're laying on the ground next to each other when Ryuichi speaks up, some of the playfulness that was previously in his voice gone.

"Shuichi?"

"Mmm?"

"Tohma told me Eiri's back."

I freeze. The last thing I want to dump on Ryuichi is my pathetic 'relationship' with Eiri.

"Have you seen him?"

"Yeah. A couple times."

He turns to me, suddenly looking serious. "If you don't want to put up with him, I can ask Tohma to send him back to New York."

"Ah? No, it's okay. I don't think he listens to Seguchi-san much anyway."

"Did he do anything bad?"

I actually have to think about this. "Not out of the ordinary."

Ryuichi smirks. "Well, that's pretty bad."

I sigh. "Yeah. I fainted."

"Yuki-san made you FAINT?"

"Mmm. Pathetic, ne?"

"No. Just looking at him makes me want to faint."

We chuckle half-heartedly for a minute before awkward silence prevails. He speaks up again.

"Shu-chan? Why did he leave? Do you want him here?"

"He didn't tell me, but he went to Norway. I don't know if I want him here. I mean, I used to pray to anything that would listen that he would come back, but…"

"Norway? Who the hell goes to Norway?"

"That's what I thought."

Ryuichi sits up. "Maybe fate brought you together again."

Either that, or Eiri didn't like the weather in Norway. But that would keep his heart from melting, wouldn't it? Apparently, Japan is too warm for that and he couldn't handle it.

Fuck. I'm getting really, really corny.

I sigh. "Maybe. Fate must really hate me, then."

Ryuichi looks down. "Yuki-san's an idiot."

"He is?"

"Yeah. I mean, he traded Shu-chan for Norway? Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

I smile. "Thanks, Ryu-chan."

"No problem, na no da! Does Shu-chan want to sleep here tonight?"

"Okay!"

* * *

"So, how did talking with Yuki-san go?" Hiro asks me the next morning.

"I left."

"Ah. Not good, then?" He smiles at me sympathetically. I suddenly feel my stomach drop. I don't like this routine. I mention Eiri and Hiro gives me that smile, that smile that makes me feel like a complete moron.

"Na, Hiro, don't look at me that way."

"Eh? Oh, sorry. Did you find out where he went?"

"Norway."

"Norway? What the fuck for?"

I shrug. "To get away from me, I guess."

"If he was that desperate, he could've taken the easy way out and pissed off K-san."

"I heard that," a deep voice says from behind me and our gun hoarding manager strolls up to us. He looks me in that way that said 'I am going to make a request now, and you never deny the request of a man who has guns in his underwear.'

"So, Shuichi." Since when does he not just come out and say it, eyeing his holster threateningly?

"So, K." Is it just me, or is K extra scary after you haven't seen him in a long time but are fully aware what he's capable of? Thoughts of New York flood my mind and I shiver involuntarily.

"I hear that Yuki-san's made a re-appearance."

Jeeze. Why does every conversation I have lately end up on the subject of my fuckwit ex-boyfriend?

"So…"

"What?" I snitch, starting to get testy.

"So…are you ready to reform Bad Luck?"

* * *

Hn. For some reason, I got bored and decided to draw Shuichi's picture of the "curiously blond guy". It sucks because there's minimal effort, it looks like Eiri about as much as my left foot and there's a reason I write stories instead of draw them, but I figured if you draw a picture for something, might as well share it, eh?

h t t p COLON DOUBLE SLASH i2 DOT photobucket DOT com SLASH albums SLASH y45 SLASH kumagorou-sama SLASH eiriarrow DOT bmp

Yes. I've observed that apparently FF doesn't approve of links, so I went all out. Heh. Sorry. Just unspace the 1st part and put the symbols in for the names I typed out in caps. If that makes no sense, hopefully you can figure it out yourself.

See you next time!


	4. IV

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gravitation. I barely even own the plot for this story. Well, damn.

**Reviewer Responses! **

**Kitty in the Box**: Hehehehe. I love Ryuichi, he's so fun to write about.

**Yasu-chan**: Woo! Foxay! Teh heh... Thank you, potato. Oh, everyone go read her Zodiac P.I. story (AND REVIEW), or I'll pull a Reiji and kill you with my giant panda robot.

**kingdomhearts222**: Thank you. Ryuichi is 35. It's four years after the start of the manga, so Shuichi is 22, Ryuichi is 24, Eiri is 26, etc.

**MoOnlEsS sAtUrN nIgHt**: Thanks! You're very sweet. Don't worry, I have plenty intent to keep this thing going until the very end. And Eiri will most likely get back with Shu. I would never have it any other way. ;) And I am a girl.

Thanks to **Chibi-Midnight-Sakai** as well!

And now, onto the overly dramatic CHAPTER FOUR. But something actually happens. Yay?

* * *

"Eh…?" I look from Hiro to K and back again. Hiro looks nervous. K's grinning maniacally. I can't decide who to punch first. Not that it would matter.

"What makes you think I would randomly reform Bad Luck?"

"Well.. Yuki-san's back, isn't he? Are you engaged yet?"

My decision is K. Instead of punching him, though, I throw my backpack at him.

"Are you deranged? Completely nuts? What does Eiri have to do with Bad Luck?"

K looks like he's about to laugh. Hiro steps on K's foot and he makes some kind of athsmatic choking noise.

"Shu, why does this bother you so much?"

I don't know. Is it that I'm afraid of going back to what I used to be? Or am I afraid that I can't? Or is it just fucking annoying that everyone thinks my professional life is run by that god forsaken romance novelist?

At any rate, sometimes it's just easier to say nothing. I just stare at Hiro, shrug, and leave. K shouts at my back.

"Shindou!"

I ignore him. On the way out the door, I wonder when I turned into such a little bitch.

* * *

Where the fuck am I? And how did I get here?

I stare up and almost lose my balance. I'm in front of -

Oh.

Hell.

No.

I curse my feet for dragging me here. What did I want to find out? Do I want to meet the people who are now living in the place I used to with Eiri?

I think I've been put in a time warp. Eiri, I will throttle you.

"Shuichi…?"

I jump about thirty feet in the air as Eiri's voice interrupts my homicidal thoughts. Since I'm on a roll today, I might as well hit him. I think a nice punch in the stomach will do him some good service, since I can't reach the top of his head.

"OW! SHINDOU! WHAT THE HELL?"

What?

I open my eyes. I didn't even know they were closed. And there, standing in front of me, holding a multi-coloured Kumagoro is Tatsuha.

Haha. Oops.

"Sorry, I thought you were Eiri."

Tatsuha snorts. "Isn't it usually the other way around?"

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

He holds up the Kumagoro. "Ryuichi wanted to hit aniki with this. I guess he forgot he doesn't live here anymore."

Ahh. Well, I'll have to thank him for coming here to hit Eiri with a stuffed rabbit.

"What are YOU doing here?" Tatsuha bends down to stare into my face. I push his shoulders.

"Stop it."

"What are you doing here?" he repeats.

"I don't know. I just ended up here."

Tatsuha raises an eyebrow. "The stupid comments stopped working when everyone figured out that you're not actually a complete idiot."

I glare at him. "Shut up. Someone at work pissed me off, so I just started walking and ended up here."

Tatsuha is silent for a moment. "Hm. Did my brother's sudden reappearance really rattle your brain?"

I sigh. "What do you think?" I feel like leaving. I need a nap. A really long nap. A few centuries would be nice. "Tatsuha?"

"Mm?"

"Why did he go? To Norway, I mean."

Tatsuha sighs loudly and stares up at the sky. "I don't know. Mika and Seguchi don't, either."

"Seguchi-san doesn't?" Well, that's a surprise. I thought Seguchi-san put tracking devises in peoples' socks.

"No. He says he doesn't, anyway."

"Oh." I begin to fidget. I need to get out of here. "I better go. Nice seeing you, Tatsuha-san."

"Uh.. Bye. Yeah. Talk to you later."

* * *

I walk home slowly, staring at everyone. I feel like an outsider, or a ghost. Like I can see all of them, but they can't see me. Kids run around the park, chasing each other with carefree smiles. Wait 'til you grow up, kids. I recommend becoming asexual. If you want to reproduce, ask a really good scientist for assistance.

When I get home, I feel dead in my shoes. I'm about ready to pass out in the elevator. I'm fumbling with my keys when I crash into somebody.

"Oh, ex-"

**OH. **

**HELL. **

**NO. **

I should've stayed with Tatsuha. He's much easier conversation than the nervous looking manslut standing at my door.

"Uh.. Hi, Shuichi."

I run over things I can say. 'Hello, Eiri. Fancy seeing you where I don't want you.' 'Get lost. I need a nap.' 'Was the message not clear last time we saw each other?'

What comes out of my mouth is "Mrrrrrmph." Eiri looks concerned. Perhaps I look like the walking dead. I certainly feel like it. Did I not sleep last night or something? So long ago…

Oh, yeah. I was with Ryuichi. Question answered.

"You okay?" he asks, making a move to touch my face. I step back.

"Look, Eiri. I'm really not in a great mood right now, so -"

"That's okay. I needed to see you."

I needed to see you? That sentence must have been implanted in Eiri Uesugi's vocabulary by aggressive aliens with anal probes.

"You needed to see me? What for?"

"Well… I think I screwed up last time we saw each other."

Why do I suddenly feel ashamed? I'm too tired to be bitchy, so I open my door. "Come in."

He slowly walks in and looks around awkwardly, as if he doesn't belong here. Well, that might be accurate.

"You can relax. Nothing's going to come out and bite you."

He laughs nervously. What is this? This is so unlike him. I stare at him for a minute before sitting down.

"I have a question."

He nods a bit. "I imagine you have a lot of questions."

What? I get to play 20 questions with him? There must be some personality altering bug in Norway's drinking water.

"First off…why are you pursuing this? I can't possibly be of any use to you with my pants on."

The look on his face is enough to make me want to swallow back my word vomit. Did I just hurt him?

"What? You.. You think…"

"I don't know what to think. This is strange."

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. He looks so washed out and tired.

"I don't know what to say. You won't believe anything unless it's insulting."

Oh. Is that why he was acting like an asshole the other day? To get me to pay attention to him?

"Why did you leave, Eiri? Why did you go there?"

He looks regretful. "I…can't tell you that."

I can feel my anger rising like an overflowing volcano. Male PMS, lack of sleep and Eiri keeping secrets at this point are not a good combination for me.

"Why the hell not, Eiri?"

"Bec-"

"Don't you think I deserve to know?"

"Well-"

"Fuck you, Eiri! Do you even **know **what you did to me? I put my entire existence on the line for you. I stayed with you even when you were completely bitter and insensitive to every little fucking thing I said. I tried to change myself so you'd like me. I thought it was working but then.. And when you left I waited up for you night after night, hoping you'd come in and say you were just out for a little bit and we could…we could…I don't know. But you didn't, so I had to move on, and just when I was starting to, you…you…"

Why am I throwing such a tantrum? Was what he said really that bad?

Yeah. Yeah, it was. Today, right now…

Am I crying?

I hold my shoulders and try to shrink. It would be fantastic to turn into a miniscule dot right now. Maybe an ant. Then Eiri could step on me for the last time.

I can't see his face, because my vision is foggy, but I can tell he's coming closer. He kneels down in front of me and wipes the tears from my cheeks.

"Shuichi, I…"

He pushes my hair out of my face. I blink tears away so I can see him better.

"I'm so…"

His lips brush mine.

"…sorry…"

Is this really happening? Is he really kissing me like a lover instead of some hungry animal?

This is nice. It's what I've wanted since… since I met him.

But…

Wait.

WAITWAITWAIT.

I grip his shirt and push him back. He looks surprised.

"Don't take advantage of me in my vulnerable state!" I snarl, though it sounds very fake.

"Oh.. Uh… I didn't mean to…"

He looks so anxious. Embarrassed, almost. But… I can't handle this today.

"Go away."

"Shuichi…"

I try to glare at him. I don't think it's working, though. "We can talk again tomorrow or something. But I really need some sleep right now."

He looks surprised again, but a faint smile appears. "Okay. Sleep well." And he leaves.

I sigh and lay back for a very much needed nap. I can feel it falling, the protective walls I put up since Eiri left. Apparently, they were held together with a kiddy glue stick.

Why do I let him do this to me? Does he have my strings attached to his fingertips or something?

Before I pass out, I have to ask myself…

When did Eiri start showing emotion?

* * *

Eeeeh. Was that too cheesy? Was it too melodramatic? Was it too quick for the godawfully slow pace this story has picked up so far? Tell me, kids. And be honest! I need to know because I've got plenty of stuff planned for these two (heh heh) but I don't want to bring it up too fast.

Thanks for reading!


	5. V

**Disclaimer**: Gravitation belongs to the adored pervert mangaka Maki Murakami.

**Reviewer Responses! **

**Kitty in the Box**: Really? You think so? I was afraid I'd made him way out of character from the manga. But, if anyone can turn that boy into a cynic, it's Eiri Yuki.

**YuKiYuKiHeSmYjUkI**: Wow, thanks for the long review. Thank you! I think writing fanfiction is actually easier than writing your own story because the characters and such are already made for you XD Otherwise it's pretty much the same as writing a regular fictional story. I love Hiro, but I honestly believe he is straight (despite the 7th remix). I do think he loves Shuichi, but more in a "I have to watch over you because you'll kill yourself with your own stupidity" kind of way. Plus, they're best friends. I wouldn't want someone writing a story pairing me with my best friend. Thanks again!

**Mimi2000**: Really? Thanks! Gravitation is a lot of fun to write about.

**AsnGothic**: Thanks! I actually wrote this because I wanted to have a change from the typical 'Eiri left Shuichi so now Shuichi will become a suicidal anorexic' kind of story that plagues this website.

**Yana5**: Yep, Norweigan ones :x

**Yasu-chan**: I just re-read this chapter and realized I spelled 'devices' wrong...why didn't Microsoft word catch that? I write this in there for a reason! Anyway, I suppose he doesn't, otherwise he would've been in Norway along with Eiri. We all know he cannot resist stalking that man, even when his wife is in the hospital with an unstable pregnancy. Yup, Shuichi's very different...Too different? I don't know. I think I've told you where I'm sort of hoping to take this. Have I?

**xXYukiXx**: Thank you!

**xangel of death sarah**: Thank you too.

**TenshiOnna, Shinki**: Well, here it is! Hope you like it.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You made out with him right after he finished telling you that he couldn't tell you why he ditched you?"

"Uh…sort of."

Hiro looks exasperated. Have I mentioned that Hiro deserves a small country as a prize for putting up with me, especially where Eiri is concerned?

"Shuichi, you're always so….so…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Hiro throws the cup he was drinking out of towards the trash can and misses. He stares for a second like he's going to pick it up, but decides lecturing me is more constructive. "All right. Do whatever you want with Yuki-san, but leave me out of your twisted relationship this time, okay?"

"Pah. Did it bother you that much last time?"

He shrugs and stands up. "Watching you be so masochistic is a little disturbing. You're not so much of an idiot anymore, though. You can take care of yourself. Now, come on. K wants to talk to you."

Great. "I don't feel like being threatened right now."

"Too bad. Knowing K is a constant threat."

Well, he has a point there. Figuring tempting K's insanity seems more dangerous than just cooperating, I follow Hiro.

K is standing next to a very nervous looking Sakano-san. Fujisaki is reading some very large text book and putting sticky notes on pages. This is why I never went to college. I don't have that kind of patience.

"Sh-sh-sh-Shindou-kun!" Sakano-san trembles. I never realized I was so threatening. Maybe he's been next to K for longer than he can stand.

"Relax, Sakano-san. It's just Shuichi." Apparently, Hiro and Ryuichi are the only people who can act like I haven't grown a third eyeball over these last few years. K is staring at me. That's very uncomfortable. Stop it, Crawd.

"What's this about?" I ask. Fujisaki finally closes that ridiculous textbook and shoves it in his bag. I haven't seen him in a couple of months. His creepy smiles are looking more and more like Seguchi-san's every day.

"I think you already know that," K says.

I sigh and fold my arms. "To tell you the truth, I've been thinking about it."

Sakano-san looks as if Santa Claus has brought him a red convertible with several playboy bunnies in it. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I do kind of miss -"

"Can we hurry this up? I have class in thirty minutes," Fujisaki snitches impatiently. Heh. He hasn't changed at all. You'd think losing his virginity to some French girl who couldn't understand him would've helped to remove the flagpole from his rectum, but apparently not.

"What did you come up with?" K says. He doesn't even take his gun out. I guess he wants a serious answer instead of a violence-induced one.

"We can try it. There's no guarantee it'll work, though."

Hiro and Fujisaki look relieved. Even Sakano-san looks happy. I guess I didn't bring him close enough to cardiac arrest last time we worked together.

"That's my boy, Shuichi!" K booms, punching my shoulder. I flinch. "We'll start tomorrow! Can you still write lyrics?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried." Is he kidding me? I don't think I could write lyrics in the first place. That's what Eiri always told me, anyway.

"Okay. Well, we'll get together next Monday. Try to come up with something." He turns to Fujisaki. "You realize this means you'll probably fail college, right?"

Fujisaki shrugs. "If it's not worth it, I'll quit the band."

Hah. He's been threatening to quit the band since he joined it.

The walk to my new apartment is longer than the one to my old one. Maybe I should learn to drive. Maybe Eiri would teach me. Hahahahaha. Oh, I kill me.

Speaking of Eiri, he's sitting on the front steps of my building. I really have to visit Norway sometime to see what it has that makes people like Eiri turn into a stalker with an apparent personality.

"Should I get used to this?" I ask, standing in front of him. He jumps. How zoned out was he?

"Probably. Are you going to kick me out?"

"Nah. I'm not as much of an asshole as you are. Come in."

He follows me and throws his coat on my couch. "Did you like it when I was an asshole to you or something?"

"I don't know. I just liked you. Is that so hard to understand?"

Eiri doesn't answer. He's rocking back and forth on his heels and staring at the ground like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Maybe I should buy a mirror and study my reflection more carefully to see what people are finding so frightening.

"What's with you?" I ask, staring up at him. He just shrugs. "Stop it. Talk, Eiri, or I **will** kick you out."

"Sorry," he mumbles. What? Sorry? I used to hear that word once every two months if I was lucky, but he's said it two days in a row now. Scary.

"Yeah. Did you have a reason for coming here?"

He licks his lips. "You never seemed like the type to hold a grudge, Shuichi."

"You paid attention?"

He looks surprised. I think I do, too. I've always had trouble controlling my mouth.

"Yes, I did. But, uh…"

"What? If you just came here to make excuses for shit, I've got a lot to do."

Eiri looks up at me. He looks really pale and tired. What the hell happened to him?

"I heard your band got back together. Uh, that's good."

What the hell? "Who told you that?"

"Tohma."

Go figure. "How much has Tohma told you, exactly?"

"Not much. He doesn't keep close tabs on you when I'm not around."

I bite my lip. "I don't really want to talk about Seguchi-san."

"Then what _do_ you want to talk about?"

"I want you to tell me about why you went to fuckin' Norway for three years." He groans. I laugh. "You walked right into that one, you know."

He smiles. Sort of. "Yeah, I know."

I sit on the couch and motion for him to come sit by me. "So, tell me. Was it cold in Norway?"

"Very. Makes Japan look like Australia in the summer."

"Did you keep writing?"

He shakes his head. "I didn't see a reason to."

"I bet every female on the planet had meltdown. No Eiri Yuki books for three years? Such a tragedy!"

He coughs. "I don't go by Yuki anymore."

"Huh?"

He looks as uncomfortable as he did when he first came in here. Oh, wait. Now I get it.

"So you left because of Kitazawa."

"What? Oh, no. I wasn't lying when I told you I was over that."

"Then was it my fault."

"Eh? No, don't think that!"

I feel frozen. I don't want to get worked up over this again, but I can't help it. It's important. To me, anyway.

"Eiri, I…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I still like you, but I can't get into anything really serious until I understand."

"I'm sorry."

Now, that's just creepy. He's apologizing as much as I used to. "Don't bother being sorry."

He's silent for what seems like forever. "I think I should leave before I get you too upset."

"Okay. Can I, uh, have your address?"

He raises his eyebrows. "You want my address?"

"Yeah."

He finds a random piece of paper and scribbles on it. Before leaving, he kisses me quickly and waves. I stare at the door after he's gone.

Jeeze.

Being with Eiri can't be healthy.

That didn't bother me last time, though, so it shouldn't now.

Maybe. I guess.

* * *

Yeep! I don't like the ending to this chapter. Anyway, I apologize for the overdue update. I went to Florida and this last week has been kinda hectic. I hope this was worth it? Thanks for reading! 


	6. VI

Hello. Sorry this took so long. It's the end of the school year and I've got piles of shit to do. (That and I've been really into Spiral lately.) Therefore, this story won't be updated very much for the next month (like it has been at all recently? -.-'). Also, please make note of my name change and the fact that I am a very fickle person and like to change usernames a lot.

This chapter isn't anything special. I needed to update and I figured since this will be on hold (sort of) I shouldn't write anything too angsty or important to the shreds of this plot that are trying to tie themselves together. Therefore, I just wrote a sort of silly, sort of smutty chapter that doesn't have anything to do with Norway or Eiri's lack of people skills. I don't like it much, but who knows? Maybe one of you will.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the sixth chapter to the random story with the random title and random plot.

* * *

WHAT. THE. HELL? 

I don't know what possessed me to hike over to where Eiri has settled himself, which is **three blocks** away from my apartment. Coincidence or Tohma? Most likely the latter. Eiri's bought himself a small white house that looks more like a condo in assisted living than the house of a 26 year old perverted romance novelist.

I glare at the door for about thirty seconds before Eiri opens it slowly. He probably thinks it's Tohma with leftover ramen.

"Shuichi?"

"Obviously." Eiri's covered in some form of grime. I have a feeling I'm going to regret interrupting whatever manly activity he was doing. There's a second of awkward silence, and I hear a sound in the background that sounds kind of like the angry dead chick in 'The Grudge'.

"Why are you here?"

"You gave me your address, didn't you? Would you like me to leave?"

"No, no. Come in."

I step inside and look around. This place looks as empty as his last one. The Grudge-esque sound is getting louder. I look around to see if maybe the sink is spurting leftover food. It isn't.

"What's that noise?"

Eiri looks uncomfortable. "My shower."

"Ahhhh…."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." That shouldn't surprise me, but it does. How depressing. I sit on his couch. It's large and overstuffed, a lot different from the one I used to sleep on frequently. Eiri sits down next to me.

"S-so… did you need something?"

"No. I just wanted to see where you live."

Eiri smirks. "Would you like a tour?"

"I'll wait until your shower stops having convulsions."

There's a moment of awkward silence before Eiri magically appears a few inches closer to me than he was before, giving me a look like a starved animal that's just spotted a cheeseburger on the sidewalk.

"Whoa. Easy there, Sparky."

Eiri's expression changes from exceptionally horny to exasperated. "Sorry! I've been deprived for the last three years!"

HA! HA! HA!

"Have you really?"

"What, you don't believe me?"

I pretend to ponder this for a moment. What I'm really pondering is how to get my conscience to take a holiday and develop a sadistic streak.

I grin at Eiri and let him kiss me until he's trying to remove my shirt. I gently push him away.

"You are not touching me when you're covered in whatever shit that is."

"Jesus. You're still an expert at ruining the mood, aren't you?"

"And you're still an asshole."

Eiri scowls. "I was kidding, Shu! Kidding!"

"I wasn't."

He sighs. "Fine. I'll go clean up."

"Where? Your shower's apparently defective."

"I'll use the kitchen sink."

As he's de-griming himself, I listen to running water and mumbled swearing while pondering how to take advantage of my regained womanly power. Eiri returns looking wet and quite disheveled.

I can feel my sex drive making its grand return as he glares at me.

"Are you happy now?" he snitches as he throws his towel across the room.

"Yes, very."

"Good." He leaves wet footprints on his floor as he trudges over to where I'm still sitting to resume what we started.

We engage ourselves in a game of tonsil hockey while he tries to move his hands faster than he can. I guess he really has been deprived.

Unfortunately for him…

"Mmm...Shuichi…?

…the deprivation…

"Shuichi? Hey, where are you going?"

…will continue.

"I have to go to work." I wave to him. "Don't miss me too much!"

I hear him cursing the world as I slowly close the door and bounce away giggling like a school girl. After years of being submissive and obedient, I, Shuichi Shindou, have finally been given the upper hand in my demented relationship.

I wish I had known before that power trips are a natural high.

This should be a whole lot of fun.

* * *

Maybe this story will be more fun once I stop acting so loopy. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for reading and for your reviews. I appreciate you guys so much. Special thanks to **Kitty in the Box** for reviewing every chapter and always being honest, and to **Yasu-chan** for just rocking in general. 


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